High-Level Factors Affecting Global Availability of Online Government Services

The purpose of this research is to develop and test a parsimonious theory of the drivers of global level e- government. Specifically, we compare individual and business usage of online government services both as direct antecedents and as indirect factors mediated by government development of an ICT regulatory environment. Using 2006 data from the World Economic Forum´s (WEF) Government Information Technology Report (GITR), we develop and test our theory using data on 122 countries. Our findings indicate that business rather than individual usage of e-government services has greater explanatory value as an antecedent to the availability of those services, and that the ICT legal environment mediates both relationships.